Ancient viral insertion linked to silenced chimpanzee brain-development gene
SCIENCEUnverifiedUpdated:
A newly reported study links a chimpanzee-specific ancient retroviral DNA insertion to the silencing of LINC00662, a gene active during early human brain development.
Gene activity restored after removing the insertion
According to ScienceAlert's account of the study, PTERV1—an ancient retrovirus found in chimpanzees and other African apes but not humans—inserted DNA near chimpanzee LINC00662. The researchers reported that the insertion switches off LINC00662.
In human brain organoids, switching off LINC00662 was associated with less neuronal maturation and growth of dendrites and axons. The researchers also reported that deleting the insertion in chimpanzee stem cells restored LINC00662 activity.
The supplied report does not provide a directly comparable prior experiment for this finding.
The reported experiments link the chimpanzee-specific PTERV1 insertion to LINC00662 being switched off; removing the insertion from chimpanzee stem cells reportedly restored LINC00662 activity.
The experiments do not explain whole-brain abilities or evolution
The work identifies a specific viral DNA insertion and a nearby gene as a possible contributor to differences in brain-cell development between humans and chimpanzees. The researchers cautioned that the experiments do not establish a particular chimpanzee brain trait, ability, behavior, or broad evolutionary explanation.
Sources
- ScienceAlertTiny Genetic Tweak From An Ancient Virus Might've Prevented Chimpanzees From Developing Brains Like OursRead source →